1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card connecting unit that makes connection with a card having contacts, specifically to a card connecting unit capable of drawing and ejecting the card by a loading mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some card connecting units for connecting a card such as the IC card to equipment such as a computer provide a loading mechanism that automatically conveys a card inserted from a card insertion slot into the body of the unit.
This loading mechanism is made up such that, when the card is inserted into the card insertion slot, a motor rotates a carriage roller provided on the upper side of a card path or provided on both the upper and lower sides with the card path placed in between to draw the card into the body of the unit along the card path, and when a recording or reproducing of information to or from the card is completed, the motor reversely rotates the carriage roller to return the card to the card insertion slot, and to eject it outside the body of the unit.
However, in the above conventional card connecting unit, the loading mechanism is made up to provide the carriage roller on the upper side of the card path or on both the upper and lower sides with the card path placed in between; accordingly, the vertical size of the card connecting unit becomes increased by the space for providing the carriage roller, which makes it impossible to make the card connecting unit thinner.
The invention has been made in view of the above circumstances of the conventional technique, and an object of the invention is to provide a thin-type card connecting unit provided with the loading mechanism for drawing and ejecting the card.
According to the most essential aspect of the invention, the card connecting unit includes: a loading mechanism that draws a card inserted in a card insertion slot into a body unit and ejects the card drawn into to the outside of the body unit from the card insertion slot; a drive motor that drives the loading mechanism; and a plurality of terminal members that come in contact with a plurality of contacts of the card drawn into the body unit by the loading mechanism. Along with the above constituents, the loading mechanism includes a movement member that moves to a drawing direction and an ejecting direction of the card by means of power of the drive motor, and an engagement member provided to the movement member so as to engage with and disengage from a recess of the card; and the engagement member is engaged with the recess of the card to thereby move the card together with the movement member to the drawing direction.
According to another aspect of the invention, the engagement member is provided rotatably around a pivot, on one end thereof a pawl to engage with the recess of the card is formed with the pivot placed in between, on another end thereof a fitting part to fit a groove formed on the movement member is formed, and an energizing member is provided which energizes the engagement member to a direction such that the pawl disengages from the recess; and when the fitting part is pressed by a front end of the card inserted into the card insertion slot, the engagement member turns to a direction such that the pawl engages with the recess against an energizing force of the energizing member.
According to another aspect of the invention, the loading mechanism includes a fixed plate fastened to the body unit, and the fixed plate includes a guide groove to extend to the drawing direction, which the pivot is fit into, as well as a cum groove and a lock groove with which the fitting part is engaged in a state of the card being ejected, which are formed in a row along the guide groove; when the fitting part is pressed by the front end of the card inserted into the card insertion slot, the fitting part disengages from the lock groove to move to the guide groove, and when the movement member moves to the drawing direction by a force to insert the card, the fitting part and the pivot move to the drawing direction along the guide groove; and when the pivot passes through the cam groove, the pawl moves to a direction such that it engages with the recess of the card, and engages with the recess.
According to another aspect of the invention, the fitting part is energized by the energizing member in a state of the card being ejected, and is located on a card path inside the body unit, when the card is correctly inserted into the card insertion slot, by being pressed on a slant of the front end of the card, the fitting part moves to a direction such that it deviates from the card path, which permits insertion of the card, and when the card is wrongly inserted, the fitting part comes in contact with the front end of the card to obstruct insertion thereof.
According to another aspect of the invention, the card connecting unit further includes: a rack gear provided movably in a body with the movement member; a loading gear engaged with the rack gear and driven to rotate by the drive motor, which moves the movement member to the drawing direction; a damping mechanism that presses to move the movement member by a predetermined distance to the drawing direction by the card inserted into the insertion slot; and a switch that detects the predetermined amount of movement of the movement member to start the drive motor.